Device for trimming lawns.



F. MASON. DEVICE FOR THIMMING LAWNS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7-. 19l6- Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

Attorneys FREDBICK MASON, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

DEVICE FOR TRIMMING LAWNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

Application filed February 7, 1916. Serial No. 76,708.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDRIQK Mason, a citizenof the United States, residing at Davenport, in the county of Scott andState of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Device for Trimming Lawns,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for trimming lawns, particularly alongthe edges of concrete walks and the like, one of the objects of theinvention being to provide an implement of this character which is lightand durable in construction, cheap to manufacture, and which can beeasily operated, it being possible to accurately guide it along the edgeof and to cut a shallow trench close to a walk, the trench cutting meansbeing adjustable to produce trenches of different depths and to engagethe soil at a desired angle.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the com bination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is an elevation of the implement in use. Fig.2 is a side view thereof. Fig. 3 is a section on line A-B Fig. 1. Fig. 4is an inner elevation of one of the clamping members. Fig. 5 is anelevation of the other clamping member.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates ahandle having opposed po-rtions cut away at one end to form a flattongue 2. One face of the tongue is adapted to be engaged by a plate 3having ears 4 for engaging the handle and holding the plate againstlateral displacement. A boss 5 extends laterally from the plate. Thisboss has a cylindrical socket 6 designed to receive a cylindricalbearing member 7 extending laterally from the center of a supportingwheel 8. This wheel has an annular flange 9 at that side thereof fromwhich the bearing 7 extends. A bolt 10 extends through the wheel and itsbearing 7 and is engaged by a nut 10' which is seated in the socket 6between the inner wall thereof and the end of the bearing member 7, thisnut being adapted to rotate and constituting a combined thrust bearingand spacing means. The bolt 10 is extended transversely through thehandle 1 and through a plate 11 which engages one of the flat faces ofthe tongue 2 I and is held against movement relative there to by ears12. This plate has a circular seriesof teeth 13 upon the outer facethereof and concentric with the bolt 10. A clamping plate 14 cooperateswith the plate 11 and has a diametrical channel 15 in its inner facewhile arranged at the sides of said channel are radial teeth 16 adaptedto engage the teeth 13, thus to hold said plate 14 against rotationrelative to the plate 11. Bolt 10 extends through the center of plate 14and is engaged by a wing nut 17 or any other suitable means whereby theparts will be clamped securely together.

Channel 15 is designed to receive a flat metal strip 18 having alongitudinal slot 19 through which the bolt 10 extends. The outer endportion of the strip 18 is bowed laterally as shown at 20 and terminatesin practically the plane occupied by the flange 9 on the wheel 8. Inusing the implement the wheel 8 is placed on the side portion of a walkindicated generally at W so that the flange 9 will lap the side of thewalk. Thus the implement will be held against lateral shifting in onedirection while in use. The arcuate cutting portion 20 will be held inan inclined position and will dig into the surface of the soil,producing a shallow narrow trench extending up to the side of the walk,thus trimming the lawn. By loosening the bolt 10 the clamping disk orplate 14 can be adjusted angularly to present the cutting portion 20 atany desired angle to the ground and the strip 18 can be adjustedlongitudinally so that a channel of any desired depth may be produced.By mounting the wheel in the novel manner set forth, the bearing 7 willrotate freely on the bolt 10 and within the socket 6, and nut 10 willtake up all end thrusts in one direction and will at the same timeprevent the wheel being clamped by the head of the bolt while theclamping plates 11 and 14 are bound together. By providing the ears 4and 12 the tongue 2 is prevented from splitting where the bolt 10 passesthrough it.

What is claimed is 1. An implement of the class described including ahandle, a socketed boss extending from one side of the handle, a bearingplate on the other side thereof and havingacir:

cular series of teeth, a Wheel having a bear:

mg member projecting into the boss, a fastening bolt extending axiallythrough the Wheel and bearing member and transversely through the handleand toothed plate, a clamping plate having a diametrical channel, teethon said clamping plate and at 0pposed sides of the channel, a stripadjustable longitudinally within the channel and angularly with thechanneled plate, said strip having one end portion bowed laterallytoward the Wheel and constituting a cuting through said bearing memberand Wheel and transversely through the plates, a spacing elementengaging the bolt between said bearing member and the inner Wall of thesocket, a clamping plate having a diametrical channel in its inner face,teeth on said plate and at opposite sides of the channel, said boltextending through the clamping plate, a longitudinally slotted stripadjustably mounted in the channel, said bolt being extended through theslot, the outer end portion of the strip being bowed laterallyito- Wardthe Wheel to constitute a cutter, and means engaging the bolt forbinding the toothed plates together to hold the strip against movementrelative to the handle.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

' FREDRICK MASON. Witnesses:

FRANK WICKELMANN, J. A. GARDENIER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

